The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-05-20


forest about your welfare and entertainment
You are fool II you cannot see through II
They want your money.
In Chestnut street, Philadelphia, while
was living In that city, an incident occurred
which was familiar to us there. In Chcstnu,
street young man went into q gambling
saloon, lost all his property, then blew bis
brains out, and before the blood was washed
from the floor by the maid the comrades were
shufiiing cards again. You see there Is more
mercy In the highwayman for tho belated
traveller on whose body he heaps the stones
there Is more mercy In the frost for the
flower that 1t kills, there Is more mercy in the
hurricane that shivers the steamer on the
Long Island coast, than there Is mercy In tho
heart Of gambler for Is victim.
In the third watch of the night, also, drunk.
enness does its worst Tho drinking will be
respectable at o'clock In the evening, a little
flushed at 0, laxative and garrulous at 10, at
II blasphemous, at ~ the hat falls of, at
the man falls to the floor asking for more
drink. Strewn through the drinking saloons
Of the city, fathers. brothers, husbands, sons
as good ~ you are by nature, perhaps better.
In the high circles Of society 1t is hushed up.
A merchant prince, II he gets noisy and UNI
comfortable, Is taken by his fellow jewellers,
who try to get him to bed, or take him home,
where he falls fiat in the entry. Donot wake
up the children. They have had disgrace
enough. Do not let them know It. Hush it
up. But sometimes 1t cannot be hushed up,
when tho rum touches the brain and the man
becomes thoroughly frenzicd. Such one
came home, having been absent for some
~. ~.
died, and she lay In the next room prepared
for the obsequies, and he went in and dragged
her by the locks, and shook her out of her
shroud, and pitched her out of the window.
oh, when rum touches the brain you can
not hush 1t up. My friends, you see all
around about you the need that something
radical be done. You do not see tho worst.
In the midnight meetings at London a great
multitude has been saved. We want a few
hundred Christian men and women to come
down from the highest circles of society to
toll amid these wandering and destitute ones
and kndle up light in the dark alley. even
the gladness OF heaven.
DO not 60 wrapped in your fine furs and
from your well filed tables with the idea that
pious talk is going to stop the gnawing of an
empty stomach or to warm stockingless feet.
Take bread, take raiment, take medicine as
well as take prayer. There is a great deal of
common sense in what the poor woman said
to the city missionary when he was telling
her how she ought to love God and serve
Him. "Oh," she said, "if you were as poor
and cold as am, and as hungry, you could
think Of nothing else."
A great deal of what is called Christian
1t is not practical; as after the battle of An
tietam man got out of an ambulance with
bag OF tracts, and he went distributing the
tracts, and George Stuart, one of the best
Christian men in this country, said to him:
1What are you distributing tracts for now?
There are 5000 men bleeding to death. Bind
up their wounds and then distribute the
tracts"
We want more common sense in Christian
work, taking the bread Of this life in one
hand and the bread of the next life in the
other hand. No such inapt work as that done
BY the Christian man who, during the last
war, went into hospital with tracts, and,
coming to the bed Of a man whose legs had
been amputated, gave him tract on the sin
If dancing. rejoice before God that never
are sympathetic words uttered, never a
prayer offered, never Christian almsgiving
nduiged in but It is blessed.
There is place in Switzerland, have been
old, where the utterance Of one word will
BRING back score OF echoes; and have to
ell you this morning that sympathetic
word, a kind word. generous word, help
ul word uttered in the dark places of the
own will bring back 10000 echoes from all
he thrones of heaven.
Are there in this assemblage this morning
hose who know by experience the tragedies
n the third watch Of the nights am not
lere to thrust you back with one hard word.
Take the bandage from your bruised soul and
,ut on it the soothing salve of Christ's gospel
md Of Gods compassion. Many have come.
see Others coming to God this morning,
ired Of the sinful life. Cry up the news to
leaven. Set all the bells ringing. Spread
he banquet under the arches. Let the
rowned heads come down and sit at the jubi-
ee. l tell you there is more delight in
he grace of God than over ninety and nine
hat never got off the track.
could give you the history, in a minute,
# one of the best friends I ever had Out
ide of my own family. never had a better
riend. He welcomed me to my home at the |
vest. He was of splendid personal appear
nee, but he had an ardor of soul and
warmth of affection that made me love him |
ike brother. saw men coming out of the
aloons and gambling hells and they sur
ounded my friend, and they took him at the
weak point, his social nature; and saw him
,oing down, and had a fair talk with him
or never yet saw man you could not talk
With on the subject Of his habits. If you talked
With him in the right way. said to him:
Why don't you give up your bad habits and
ecome Christian" I remember now just
low he looked leaning over his counter, as
10 replied: II wish could. Oh, sir, should
Ike to be Christian, but I have gone so far
stray can't get back"
So the time went on. After awhile the day
t sickness came. I was summoned to his
ick bed. fastened It took me but very
ew moments to get there l was surprised
s l went in. saw him in his ordinary dress,
ully dressed, lying on top of the bed. gave
i'm my hand, and he seized it convulsively,
nd said: "Oh, how glad am to see you! Sit
own there" sat down and be said: "Mr.
'almage, just where you sit now my mother
at last night. She has been dead twenty
ears. Now don't want you to think l am
ut Of my mind, or that I am superstitious;
ut, sir, she sat there last night just as GER
ainly as you sit there now-the same cap and
prom and spectacles. 1t was my old mother
he sat there" Then he turned to his wife,